The Tree of Changing Truth
by A Million Eyes
Summary: One Shot: An unlikely pair, having survived their respective heart-breaks, find comfort with another. Can there be something more, or is it just the biting loneliness that's keeping them together? Full Disclaimer inside


I do not own Baka and Test

Warning: not your usual pairing, I know. I got the idea from JMe SeKaiiCHi's story.

Sorry JMe, I hope you don't mind…

anyway, enjoy this little drabble from me

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**The Tree of Changing Truth**

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He sat at the foot of the tree, thinking he was alone.

On the other side she sat as well, also with the same thought.

But neither noticed the other, until the pain was sharpened by the silence and she started to cry.

He recognized those sobs the instant he heard it, so he walked around the tree and saw her crunched up in a ball, shoulders jolting up in subtle hiccups.

"Shimada." He called, unsure yet if he should have.

It took her a few seconds before deciding to look up. She didn't want to show a face wet with childish tears. She had enough humiliation for one day.

She did not bother answering, and just looked at him, tears still streaming down, body still shuddering with the attempt to suppress the emotion.

When it became clear she will not be able to answer, he decided to wait it out and sat beside her.

Wait he did, while she cried on, wailing emotions that sounded like it had been there forever, with tattered German words Hideyoshi did not bother deciphering.

It took a while, but when she finally stopped spewing weird syllables, he knew she was stable enough to converse.

"Are you okay now, Shimada?"

The girl smiled, wiped her face with her sleeve and spoke, "Es wird mir gud gehen. Danke."

"Um, Japanese please?"

"Oh, sorry, I meant I'll be fine. Thanks anyway."

A smile suits her face better, he thought. He had always regarded her as a very pretty girl, but has never found the reason to expound on that thought.

"Tough day?" he asked.

"Yeah." she answered softly.

That was as far as conversation would go. Lunch was only for a couple of minutes more, but they didn't bother wasting it with words that would probably make no sense. They just sat there, enjoying the breeze and the silent company of the other. They both knew something was deeply hurting, but neither wanted to probe.

Moments later, the school bell rang, signaling the other half of school day.

"Well, I guess we should get back inside now." he said, standing up and brushing dirt off his pants.

"I guess."

She was still pretty weak from all the crying, so he held out his hand to help her up. The girl looked at him and then at his hand, considering his girly face looking a bit manly for some reason.

Slowly she reached up and placed her own hand on his.

Strange – a few silent minutes and they already feel closer to one another than when the day started. But surely, it wasn't a big deal. They were friends after all.

That is, until the following day, during that same time, and under that same tree.

They looked at one another, apprehensive, cautious and suddenly conscious about a lot of things.

"Well, I guess I'll be eating lunch somewhere else. See ya'!" Hideyoshi said, bidding for the sake of being a gentleman. With bento in hand he started to make his exit, but Minami stopped him with fingers clasping tight on his sleeve.

"Why don't we- why don't we eat lunch together?"

It was an invitation spoken under a spell of a blush and a sweet, soft voice, and it infected the boy's rosy face into a similar redness. There was nothing to interpret in that offer, except that he's a boy, and she's a girl, and it almost, ALMOST, sounded like she was asking him out.

"Sure." He said.

Her face brightened with a smile, and so did his, and that brightness got stuck there while they sat, ate, and once again set words aside.

She must've been on a real time diet, for he was still halfway through his bento when she started packing her stuff. Lunch done and passing out the meal, the girl then felt like speaking.

"It's funny. This morning I woke up thinking I'd still be upset."

The boy turned to her, surprised that she'd suddenly decide to speak, but also interested.

"But I wasn't." she continued, "It hurts, though it's not heavy, or painful anymore. When I got to school, I saw Aki and Himeji holding hands, but I didn't cry. I passed them by and greeted them on my way. They were so embarrassed when they saw me."

She looked at him and showed a warm face, not with tears or a crumpled expression of sadness, but of mature resignation. For him it was remarkable, and the smile she gave him, along with such wonderful eyes, was breathtaking.

It was as if she was a wholly different person.

"I- I'm proud of you." He said after finally choosing the right words to express himself, "Not everyone can do that, you know, facing the one you love when you know he can't love you back in the same way."

"Thanks." Her expression changed from gratitude to curiosity, "You sound like you're in a similar boat. Did something happen?"

"Oh, um, yes, I suppose you can say that." He answered, careful to be taken in the pace.

"So you fell in love too, huh?" she asked, grinning.

'Love' might not be the correct term. He gave the details, embarrassed and blushing all the while. It all started with the long, beautiful hair, and then the smiles that were wonderful as they were, and then his heart skipping everytime he hears her voice or catches her scent in the hallway, until finally, he could not stop thinking about the ice-queen, and realized that he might have really, or even completely, fallen for Shouko Kirishima.

But even from afar, it was clear that everything was perfect between her and Yuji. His red-head friend maybe in denial, but Sakamoto always fails to hide the fact that he loves Shoko deeply.

"Did you tell her?" Mimai asked after she had recovered from the amused shock.

"Yes I did."

He remembered the surprised look on Shouko's usually calm face when he confessed to her on the rooftop.

"_Thank you, but I already have a future with Yuji. Still, just so you'd know, I've always found you cute, and although you're not my type, Hideyoshi, you are a boy worth liking in every way. Some girl out there will definitely see you as such and give you her heart. You just have to wait for her, okay?"_

Unfortunately, as kind as Shoko is, she's dead-set on making babies with Yuji.

It would have been a devastating scar on his high school life, had Shoko not saturated the experience with an unforgettable kiss on his cheek, rendering him speechless and frozen under a wave of silent celebration.

"Well, at least you got something out of it." Minami said jokingly

"Aside from a broken heart, I guess. How about you? This might sound mean, but after chasing Akihisa around and fracturing a couple of his bones, what now?"

"For starters, I still think I love him, but not as much as before. And also, I get to mature from this. It sucks, I know, but I won't grow if I don't get hurt, right?"

"So you still love him, but you're willing to let him go?"

"Mm-hm. I guess it's only because no one else has taken his place in my life. But it's cool. Besides- Kirishima's right. Someone out there is waiting for me to give my heart. I just have to look carefully."

The bell finally rang, his signal to leap from the ground and hold out his hand to her. It came naturally and they didn't even bother thinking about it like last time, until she was already standing right in front him. Understandably enough, with the sudden lack of distance between them, it became awkward. Especially with how nice she thought he smelled and how soft and warm he thought her eyes were.

Luckily, no attempt to speak was made, and they casually broke the staring contest and headed back to class, forcefully convincing themselves that their hearts didn't skip a rather familiar beat.

Whether or not they managed to successfully convinced their own minds didn't matter the same day, for they found themselves exactly on the same scenario.

"Is this going to be a habit between us?" he asked in coy.

"Why not? We both like this place, don't we? Unless of course you prefer not to share it with anyone." She was already spreading out a blanket for the both of them when she said that. Hideyoshi thought it wasn't worth any consideration and just sat beside her.

"Do you normally eat so little, or is this still another attempt to get Aki's attention by refining yourself from fasting?" he asked when they've settled down.

She caught a bit of scolding in his tone of voice, although it was obvious he wasn't picking a fight, "A bit of both, actually."

"That's not right. I know you don't like being teased about your figure, but I think your waistline is the least of your concerns. You're very curvy as you are, and don't let the lack of mammary glands fool you. Have you ever looked at your backside before? Sorry for saying this: I know it's Voyeur's job to be perverted, but even I can't help but look at the nice curve of your butt. Make no mistake, Shimada you have a great bo-!"

He stopped, but it was too late. He just let his mouth go trigger happy with those lecherous compliments that should owe him a broken skull right about now.

"Go on." The girl teased, getting flustered and amused at the same time.

"The point I'm trying to make is – you should eat more!" he said, shaking away the embarrassment.

"Point taken. I should probably punch you for saying something ecchi, but I'll let it slide since you also said something sweet and caring, and I got butterflies in my tummy when you said that."

"Whatever!" he was aggravated all of a sudden, "Just eat already! Here, try some of my egg rolls. It should give you more calories."

It was supposed to be 'from my chopsticks to your bento' and not 'from my chopsticks to your mouth.' He didn't mind. Actually, he did. But it was already done, that is, she had already placed her lips on his chopsticks when he realized what transpired.

"What's the matter? Lost appetite?" Minami asked, wondering why Hideyoshi suddenly stopped and stared at his chopsticks and was turning red all over.

It was the other way around. He continued eating, and suddenly found the remainder of his meal to be awfully sweet, and somehow, letting his lips linger at the tip of his chopsticks made it tastier.

Bell rang again, and that's another lunch time.

"Maaan! I'm stuffed!" she said, tapping on her belly that was barely even there.

"Seriously? After one extra egg roll? You really should widen your tank a little. Come on."

If spending lunch together had become a habit, holding out his hand is certainly a part of it, which also meant her acceptance of a never-failing generosity. Suddenly feeling playful, Minami gave him a yank, causing him to fall on top of her.

"You dummy! You could have hurt yourself! Are you okay?" he asked in a scolding way again.

"Consider it pay back for calling my butt big. Beh!" she stuck out her tongue, further annoying the lad.

"I said it was nicely curve, I didn't say it was big."

"Whatever!" she ignored his reason and just giggled at him.

It was a delightfully compromising position their bodies were in, but his concern for her and her attempt to fool around prevented them from realizing that. It took a few minutes before reality slapped them on the face and they were forced to stand up and head back to class.

Both of them played back the scene over and over again in their heads for the rest of the day, but neither spoke about it. They felt uncomfortable about the prospect, but they also found it rather exciting.

Fortunately, the discomfort wasn't enough for them to cease the established rendezvous the following day.

"You're looking cheerful today!" Hideyoshi said, sitting beside Minami.

"Likewise. Well then, since you pointed it out, you go first. What caused you to be so smug since this morning?"

"My sister heard about my confession and felt bad for me, so she thought of waking early to cheer me up with a healthy breakfast and much fuller bento."

He showcased the insides of the box, which weren't so different from his usual, but the girl could make out a female touch in them. Plus, there were some added sidedishes plus a pair of chocolates for desert.

"Whoah! That IS a bigger lunch box. So I guess your sister can be sweet in her own way."

"I know. Okay, your turn. Why so jolly today?"

"Hmp, I'm glad you asked." She turned proud and victorious all of a sudden, "You enjoy your fleeting pleasure of a bento, while I stay warm and cuddled every night with this!"

From behind she pulled up a red, stuffed animal, and placed it on her lap.

"Oh, it's Ein the fox." He said, poking the soft thing while Minami toyed with its arms.

"Yeah! Cute, ain't she? Himeji gave it to me. She got Fee for herself, and Noin for Aki. Matching set."

Hideyoshi was suddenly worried about pulling the topic up, but it seemed Minami was more than capable of handling the issue.

"That works. Your friendship often goes as crazy as those three foxes. I'm glad you guys are still sticking together."

"Me too. Those two may be a couple, but with Himeji being a clutz and Akihisa being stupid all the time, someone needs to look after them. Hmm. Although, I think Ein deserves a more sazzy touch."

She regarded the little teddy fox, pulled the ribbon tying up her air, and cushioned it around little Ein's neck.

"There, how's that for a makeover?"

Hideyoshi, barely starting with his lunch, noticed the sudden, radical change, first in the scent of the air as her shampoo came wonderfully perceptible to his nose, and then at the sight of a cute girl beside him, transformed by the freedom she gave to her hair. He struggled to keep mind and senses intact as he got entranced.

With her hair down and flowing, she was so beautiful.

"What?" she asked when she finally caught him staring.

"Nothing. Um, would you like some of my food?"

"Sure, why not? That egg roll from yesterday was yummy. Can I have one?"

"Absolutely."

He indeed gave her an egg roll, but there seemed to have been a disparity between their expectations. While Hideyoshi was casually expecting her to take the roll straight from his chopsticks to her mouth like she did yesterday, Minami was doubtful if that's how it should be done.

"Is there something wrong?" Hideyoshi inquired.

"Er, no, I was just – never mind."

It wasn't as if she was being fed by a stranger, and so what if it seemed like an indirect kiss? No biggie, they're friends, and friends feed each other every now and then, don't they? So she leaned towards him and let herself be treated like a kid – or a girlfriend, the latter of which was highly unlikely.

"Yuuko loves to make her own takuyaki. She made me some as well. Care to try them out?"

"Sounds good. Let's have it, thanks!"

Before she knew it, she got sucked into the whole thing, as Hideyoshi seemed to have brought more than the term 'bento' would normally include.

The entire lunch was enough for them both, and apparently, so was a single pair of chopsticks. Minami got stuffed quickly, so her own bento was left untouched. Good thing Aki was in poverty mode again this week. He'd be more than happy to relieve her of the trouble of wasting her food.

As if on cue, the school bell rang in time with him standing up and again holding out his hand to her.

"Shimada, maybe you should take off Ein's ribbon." Hideyoshi said, still holding her hand and standing close to her.

"Why?"

"Because, um," he needed to rephrase the statement 'if people see you with your hair down, they'll all go gaga like I did' but there was simply no other way to put it.

"because Fee and Noin would get jealous of Ein having such an accessory. You should just tie your hair back up."

Minami blinked at him and wondered where such senseless logic came from, and then laughed, "That's so silly, Kinoshita-kun. But alright, I'll tie it up. I don't think I look good with my hair down like this anyway."

"That's not it!" he accidentally voiced out his thought, making the girl suspicious all of a sudden. His brain stumbled upon a few brilliant excuses, but he decided to go with the one he already started. "you. I mean, err, Ein, looks really good, with your hair down, that is, with the ribbon on her neck."

The question on her face clearly meant that didn't make sense.

"If you want, you can have Ein wear the ribbon during lunch time. But in the classroom, she shouldn't wear it."

The question turned into an ellipsis with a blank atmosphere swooning the air. That still didn't make sense. In the girl's mind, though, it's not as if it HAS to make sense.

"Okay, that's fine by me."

"Thanks." The boy said, breathing an air of relief.

"Um, Kinoshita-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you let go of my hand now?"

That was the day's doze of embarrassment, but Minami didn't seem to have mind.

Something obviously sprung up after a few days of hanging out together. Both have realized such and neither of them are bothered by it. After all, as a boy it's normal for him to find her beautiful, because she is in fact beautiful. And as a girl, it's normal for her to get comfortable with someone she trust, even though it's a boy.

But is there something more to it?

"You look kind of different today."

"I hope so." Hideyoshi said, "I'm not wearing my hair pin today."

"Oh, yeah, you're right."

"Does it make me look more like a girl?" he asked, hopeful and fearful.

"It's actually the other way around." she said without even thinking about it, "Believe it or not, you look manlier without the hair pin. You should let your bangs fall down like that. It's messy, but it suits you better."

"Okay. How about you? I thought you'd be letting your hair down during lunch?" there was disappointment in his voice that Shimada didn't notice, as she was too busy peeling her apple.

"No need for that. I bought Ein her own ribbon, see?"

All of a sudden, the fox didn't look so cute in Hideyoshi's eyes, especially if it didn't contribute to his own ends. Still, that doesn't mean he can't use his own wit.

"Well, that's not fair. I mean, the only reason why I didn't wear my hair pin is because I thought you wouldn't be wearing your ribbon."

"Really? I didn't think it would be a big deal, since you seem to have been more concerned about Ein than my hair, but anyway, whatever, it doesn't matter to me."

She gave a good yank on the silky fabric that released her silkier hair. Hideyoshi's heart stopped, just to build moment in sudden leaps.

"There, you happy?"

"Very."

He was actually beyond happy. He was overjoyed, so much so that the entire time they were eating he was grinning at her.

And then the bell went again, ending another lunch time, and ending another moment to be alone with her. He was disheartened, to say the least, because ever since they started eating lunch together he doesn't look forward to anything other than her company.

"Shall we?" he offered his hand by routine, but Minami didn't take it.

He feared it was all about boundaries being built again, but when she looked up, bearing a thoughtful expression, he knew it was something else.

"Let's skip class." She said.

"Huh? Why? Aren't you afraid you'd get into trouble?"

"Not really."

If it means having to spend more time with her, why not?

There weren't much to do in school, and they didn't have any plans on escaping, so they just sat there under their favorite tree, talking about stuff, some pointless, good-for-a-laugh topics, others carrying a side of their lives they haven't told anyone else.

A few hours later, the school came to lively movement with the students prepping for home. Their spot is secluded, so no one would be able to find them there. All around they could hear familiar voices of teens, some of which were talking about their friends who didn't came back after lunch

That brought some dread into them, because for sure they're in for a hell of a time with Ironman's severe punishment

But that's a thought for tomorrow. For now, they were with each other, and that's all that mattered.

Hideyoshi stole a side glance at Minami. She was simply beautiful, especially with how the shades of gold and orange from the setting sun coated her countenance. Upon closer look, he noticed she was crunching up in a ball. The breeze must be getting to her. He scooted a bit closer until their shoulders were touching.

She wasn't flinching. She was just looking at the sky as if it was drawing her in, just as he was being drawn to her.

Finally, he decided to speak, and dared to break the formality.

"Minami?"

She looked at him, surprised to hear her first name from him, albeit there was hint of happiness in her eyes.

"Will you have lunch with me again tomorrow?" Hideyoshi asked.

"Of course." She answered, cheerful and sweet.

"How about next week? Will you have lunch with me still?"

"If I don't have any scheduled appointment, why not?" she answered again, this time with jest.

"And the week after that?"

"Hideyoshi, chill, okay? So long as this school allows us to have lunch, we'll have it under this tree. That is, until we find a better place or the gang asks us to go somewhere with them." she said.

It annoyed him a bit that she wasn't getting the point.

"Minami, is it okay if you have lunch with me forever?"

Her eyes suddenly widened with that offer. It was clear now where he was going, and she suddenly felt warm, and at the same time afraid.

"What are you saying, Hideyoshi?"

When he saw her moving slightly away, he captured her hand with his, pinning it gently on the ground.

"I know it's too soon, and we're probably just two broken hearted losers in the romance department, but I know how I felt about Shouko, and I know how I feel about you now."

"But Hideyoshi, I-"

"It's okay," he softened his gaze and pulled up her hand, "You probably still have feelings for Akihisa, I understand."

"It's not that." She shied away from his face which was getting a bit too close, "I just – like you said, maybe it's too soon. I mean, I may have feelings for you too, but – oh, I don't know."

He tried to pull her closer to him when she seemed to be struggling with thought and feeling. There was so much to weigh that she can't handle them all, so he turned his voice into deep whispers.

"Shhh. Don't fret, alright? I'm not going to force this on you, but I want you to know that I'll always be waiting under this tree-"

Her embarrassment was forcing her to look away, lest she be taken in completely by his eyes. But he didn't let her miss the important part of his statement, as he pulled her chin and forced her gaze on him while he continued. "-because I love you, Minami Shimada."

As he held her hands together, it felt like she was melting into a messy, shivering pile of soft flesh. Her eyes showed joy, panic and confusion mixing horribly. If it was any consolation, this hesitant, honest sight of her is very cute, he thought.

"Is it okay, if I give you my heart?"

"But-but-but

As if casting a spell of silence, Hideyoshi placed two fingers on his lips, fondly mocking a kiss on them, and then sited her own lips with the same fingers into a loving seal. It eased her shaking and the threat of her speaking again in her mother tongue which would be gibberish without the aid of subtitles.

With faces completely flustered and husking with excited breaths, the two continued to stare at each other, one bearing confident dedication, the other with anxious hesitation.

"But what if this is just a farce?" she spoke on, right when their noses were already touching, "What if we're just too lonely and too desperate for affection that we dove into the nearest available comfort? What if this turns out to be a mistake, and we fall into pieces again? I don't think I'll be able to survive another heartache."

"Then I guess I'll have to offer you a hand and raise you back up like I always do."

There was not enough room for another argument, even if she wanted there to be. Heck, there wasn't even enough room between their faces. Slowly their eyes closed, slowly their heads leaned forward.

Finally, their lips met in a soft, sweet kiss. It faltered in a melting moment, no pressure, no force, just a perfect, moist touch of his lips on hers. They parted, took some lost air, and stared lovingly into one another.

She lost the cautiousness and hesitation in her eyes. All that sparkled there was resignation to a truth she had been hiding for quite some time now, and a willing gamble for a happy future.

"You better take care of me, you hear?" she declared, snuggling her cheek on to his neck.

"Yes mam."

He pulled her shoulders closer to further press her to him, making good use of such proximity to breath in her hair and run a free hand through them. This didn't go unnoticed, not that it was reprehensible for the girl.

"I guess Shouko got you going with her long hair too, huh?"

"Sorry. I got a thing for lose hair, especially wavy ones that smell like vanilla. By the way; how do you say 'I love you' in German?"

"Ich liebe dich." She answered, clutching on to his shirt and smiling wildly.

"Thanks! I love you too!" he got a poke on the rib for that jest.

That's one, true, German statement he wouldn't mind hearing for a change.

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_the end  
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I hope you enjoy that. Feel free to comment, especially about the pairing.

I know the development was too fast. I didn't have much material for this, plus the concept would have been too complicated: a trap and a rough-housing girl.

Still, I find this couple really cute. Thanks again, JMe!

And another thing: another weird idea inserted in the story, what if Shouko and Hideyoshi were to be paired up... Hmm, sounds a bit too complicated.

Whatever, thanks for reading anyway!


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